Classic

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈklæs.ɪk/

Definitions

1. A significant creation or style that holds lasting value and serves as a benchmark for excellence, often linked to historical traditions
2. A creation or style recognized for its enduring excellence and influential qualities, often regarded as a benchmark for future works or styles of similar nature
3. Acknowledged for enduring superior quality and recognized over time ; serving as a standard or model example within a category ; connected to the culture and ideas of ancient Greece or Rome

Etymology: The sense that now means "enduring excellence" began as a statement about social rank. In ancient Rome, the "classici" were citizens of the highest property class, the people who could afford to serve in the most important units of the army. The Latin adjective "classicus" grew from "classis," a division or grade of the citizenry, and it meant belonging to the top tier. The leap from social status to artistic merit came through a metaphor. Writers of the Roman Empire began using "classicus" to describe the best authors, the ones worth studying as models, and that idea of elite standing transferred neatly to literature. French took the word as "classique," and English later borrowed it from French, so the sense of "first-rank" or "authoritative" arrived along with the Latin-derived form. "Classic" and "classy" are a doublet: two words from the same source that entered English by different routes. "Classy," meaning stylish or high-class, came along a more informal path, which is why the two now sound like cousins with different manners.

Synonyms: traditional, timeless, exemplary, standard, quintessential

Antonyms: modern, novel, new, contemporary, futuristic